I wasn’t prepared the first time I heard False. The mysterious Minnesota sextet’s debut EP is two 12-minute tracks of churning, propulsive USBM and it bounced off my brain when I first gave it a listen. I don’t think I tried more than twice before leaving it to sit unplayed in my iTunes library. Then 2015 brought their first full length (also called Untitled) and, … Continue reading False: Untitled (2012)
There’s probably a huge cross section of folks who see Amanda Palmer covering Radiohead and all their toxic buttons are pressed at once. I know I’ve seen a lot of venom directed toward Radiohead in the metal community for some unknown reason, and Amanda Palmer seems to be a magnet for vitriol and anger, whether it’s for her success with Patreon, her vocal stance everything … Continue reading Amanda Palmer: Amanda Palmer Performs The Popular Hits Of Radiohead On Her Magical Ukulele (2010)
This is what I know: Ghostlimb’s Infrastructure was the first album I bought on Bandcamp. I was probably drawn by the connection to Graf Orlock, who share in Justin Smith a common member, but the music pulses with an angry hardcore energy that is in direct opposition to the film reference-laden grindcore Graf Orlock was peddling at the time. Listening to it for the first … Continue reading Ghostlimb: Infrastructure (2011)
Over at Nine Circles I love the cover but bemoan the lack of spark in the doom sections of Druid Lord’s new full length Grotesque Offerings. There is a lot that works, but there’s also a lot that feels hashed together: all frayed edges and rough ideas. Comes together in the faster moments, though. You mileage may vary. You can check out the full review … Continue reading Druid Lord: Grotesque Offerings (2018) – for 9C
There was a time, a long time, where I didn’t read any fantasy. It was my lifeblood as a kid, reading and re-reading Tolkien, Terry Brooks’s Shanara series, and dozens upon dozens of careful perusals through my tattered copies of my Dungeons & Dragons tombs. I used to take colored pencils so I could bring the various beasts and gods to life in the Monster … Continue reading Brandon Sanderson: Oathbringer
Over at Nine Circles I fall hard for the crust-punk hardcore doom charge of Cleveland, Ohio trio Pillärs. Debut full-length Abandoned is a righteous voice rising above the tumultuous thrum of 2018, with lyrics that touch on everything from loss to spiritualism and faith, but never loses sight of the fact it has to first and foremost be a kickass rocking record. As such it’s … Continue reading Pillärs: Abandoned (2018) – for 9C
Consuming the Tangible (test) 